Many applications have drawn interest in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in
recent years. Most notable among these WSN applications are those serving in
hostile environments, such as combat field reconnaissance, border protection,
and security surveillance, where the network may be subject to adversary’s
attacks. Typically a WSN is composed of a large number of sensor nodes that
monitor their surroundings and report their measurements to a nearby base-
station. The base-station interfaces the network to remote users and often tasks
the sensors and manages their operation. Given the role that the base-station
plays, it is the most attractive target for an adversary who opts to inflict
maximum damage to the operation of the WSN. The fact that the base-station is
the sink of all data traffic makes it vulnerable. Packet encryption would not
be a sufficient countermeasure since an adversary can intercept the individual
wireless transmission and employ traffic analysis techniques to follow the data
paths. Since all active routes ends at the base-station, the adversary may be
able to determine its location and launch targeted attacks. In this project
we investigate metrics for assessing the base-station anonymity, and develop
techniques for countering traffic analysis and concealing the location, identity
and role of the base-station.